Sergei Fedorov tried to lure Pavel Datsyuk to Russia before he signed Red Wings extension

Michigan Live | Jul 20

In the end, the Detroit Red Wings and the NHL won out.

But Pavel Datsyuk certainly had other options before signing his three-year, $22.5 million contract extension last month, and passed on overtures from a former teammate and the CSKA Moscow team he previously played for in Russia.

Sergei Fedorov, who played with Datsyuk in Detroit for three years, is now the general manager for CSKA Moscow.

"Unfortunately for us, Pavel extended his contract with Detroit," Fedorov told Russian news outlet R-Sport. "I had a meeting with him a few days before the signing.